Poets and Tigers and Presidents, Oh My!
... and Barack Obama makes three.
When Obama takes office, that will make three U.S. presidents who've received undergraduate education in California.
The first was Herbert Hoover, a member of Stanford University's first class. (That was long before the mascot wars, before the ''Stanford Indians'' and now the ''Cardinal,'' but not -- as some students suggested -- the ''Robber Barons.'')
The second was Richard Nixon, a Whittier College grad -- whooo, Poets!
And now the third is Barack Obama, who spent his first two years of higher education at Occidental College before succumbing to the siren call of the East Coast and Columbia. Go Tigers!
The image, courtesy of Occidental College, is of the photo Barack Obama submitted when he applied for admission to the college in 1979.
Interesting California university trivia: Stanford was one of the first universities in the country that was coeducational and non-denominational. I think. And Leland Stanford was a strong supporter of women's suffrage , involvement in politics and equal pay. He also authored bills in the Senate calling for worker co-operatives in a way to allow the worker to be his/her own employer. Although "Robber Baron" is widely used, there's some interesting thinking that challenge the generalized moniker. At least in Leland Stanford's case. Go Trees or Cardinal or whatever it is!
Posted by: Jason S. | November 07, 2008 at 07:18 PM